NORDIC OPPORTUNITIES
Creating impact starts with people who look at the world from an
opportunity perspective. It starts with people who put themselves in
the right position to spot and create opportunities and then explore
the routes to turn them into realities.
As Nordic architects, this is at the heart of everything we do. Our
passion is to see opportunities, shape them and create the perfect
setting for bringing them to life. Because we believe that buildings
and public spaces should create commercial impact for our clients,
while providing people with the opportunities to live healthier,
smarter and more connected lives.
We thus approach every task with responsiveness, just as we
work with ambitious clients and partners to see and open up
opportunities. Rather than using predefined styles or methods, we
engage with and become involved in each project. We listen to
people, analyse the context and put our creative talents to work as
we explore and bring to life the opportunities each project holds.

LIVING ARCHITECTURE
On the following pages, we have gathered some of our latest
and most exciting projects in the field of living architecture that
encapsulate our ambition to open up opportunities, each in their own
distinct way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ranging from the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best residential development
according to World Architecture News to a mixed-use development
shaped by the sharing economy and a student residence designed
with the idea of maximising opportunities for social engagement.

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NORDIC ROOTS
â&#x20AC;&#x201C; international recognition
We are a Nordic architectural firm with offices in Aarhus, Copenhagen
and Oslo contributing to the development of over 500,000 mÂ˛ in the
Nordic countries, from designing buildings and public spaces to working
on large-scale urban planning. Since our establishment in 2000, we have
gained international recognition for developing architecture that opens
up opportunities for people, places and communities.
Over the years, we have received several awards, just as our work has
been exhibited at several international venues, from the EU Parliament
in Brussel to the International Architecture Biennial in Venice. This
recognition helps highlight our work to a variety of medias and
opinion formers, which is great in terms of opening up new business
opportunities for our clients and collaborators.

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THE WATERFRONT

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The Waterfront creates new opportunities to draw city life out to
the boundary between Stavanger and the captivating Norwegian
landscape with its deep blue fjords, alluring mountains and
extensive forests.

The Waterfront has been designed as clear-cut mountains of wood
surrounded by a wealth of passages, courtyards and a public
promenade that winds around the buildings and extends all the way
to Stavangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historical city centre. All with a focus on inspiring
citizens and tourists to engage with the new waterfront as a natural
and vibrant part of town.
Daylight and panoramic views are key elements in the design of the
Waterfront. For instance, the facades and roof surfaces have been
cut diagonally to maximise daylight in all 128 apartments, while the
buildings wind along the waterfront to provide a view of both the
city and the fjord from all apartments. Add to this that all apartments
vary in shape and size, and you have socially sustainable housing
that caters to a wide group of residents â&#x20AC;&#x201C; families, single people, the
young and the elderly.

INSPIRATION /

The Waterfront winds
along the harbour front,
just like Stavangerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s row
of old buildings winds
along the bay.

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CREATING COMMERCIAL IMPACT
During the first building phase the apartments sold for an impressive
100 million Norwegian kroner in just a few days.

The Warehouses create new opportunities to combine residential
and commercial units focusing on embracing a modern way of life
and injecting activity and diversity into the city, from early in the
morning to late in the evening.

The Warehouses are the first combined residential and commercial
development built on Aarhus Ă&#x2DC;, the new harbour front of Aarhus.
Inspired by the rapidly growing sharing economy, the Warehouses
combine residential and commercial units in new and different ways,
thus making them â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the buildings that never sleepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.
The distinctive, diverse development will ooze life and activity,
challenging the traditional nine-to-five mindset. It rethinks the
relationship between businesses and residents, allowing them to
share a wide variety of facilities, including fitness centres, meeting
rooms, a canteen and a public roof terrace.
During the day, businesses can book shared rooms for meetings,
and in the evening, residents can book the same rooms for social
events. On weekends, the shared canteen can be converted
into a restaurant for the enjoyment of the whole city. The focus
is on creating architecture that opens up new opportunities for
businesses, residents and the city within a broader perspective.

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SHAPED BY THE SHARING ECONOMY
With the tenants owing little and sharing a lot, the Warehouses are
the sharing economy made real.

LOCATION

STATUS

CLIENT

Aarhus / Denmark

Under construction

Havneinvest

ARCHITECT

ENGINEER

SIZE

AART architects

MOE

35,000 mÂ² combined residential
and commercial development

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WATERFRONT
THE BIKUBEN
STUDENT
RESIDENCE

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The Bikuben Student Residence has been designed with the idea
of maximising opportunities for social engagement. Because
research shows that university life is often marked by loneliness
â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for one in six students to such an extent that it affects their wellbeing and ability to complete their studies.

In order to fulfil this social vision, the design process entailed
working closely with anthropology students from the University of
Copenhagen. This resulted in a residence that supports the idea of
creating a student community. The residence appears as a cube but is
actually a double helix built around an inner courtyard, while towards
the city a connected route of terraces twines around the building,
escalating to a public roof terrace overlooking the city.
The double-helix structure strengthens the connection between the
common rooms and the private dorm rooms. This avoids the classic
corridor and instead creates an access route to the dorm rooms that
becomes a social meeting place. Add to this a wealth of common
facilities spread over the entire residence, and you have a living
environment where the residents get the opportunity to form new
friendships and feel a sense of community with their fellow students.

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CREATING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Less space for loneliness and more space for community.
This is the essence of the Bikuben Student Residence.

LOCATION

STATUS

CLIENT

Copenhagen / Denmark

Completed in 2007

Bikubens Kollegiefond

ARCHITECT

HONORARY AWARD

SIZE

AART architects

Copenhagen Municipality
Building Award 2007

7,000 mÂ² student residence
including 107 dorm rooms

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HOME FOR LIFE

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Home for Life opens new perspectives on sustainable housing. With
an electricity meter running backwards and a window area twice the
size of that in a traditional single-family house, it sets new standards
for healthy living spaces with the environment in mind.

Designed as one of the world’s first ActiveHouses, Home for Life
produces more energy than it consumes. Solar cells, solar panels
and a wide array of innovative sustainable solutions contribute to the
positive energy balance, and with an energy surplus of 9 kWh/m²/
year, the house will have given more back to nature than was used to
produce the building materials after just 30 years.
Daylight and ventilation are other key factors in the design of the
house. The house draws the daylight in from all corners of the world,
while integrated sensors measure the temperature, humidity and
CO2 in all rooms, and an automatic facade system adapts to the
season and draws fresh air into the house. With plenty of daylight
and fresh air, it is a house that exudes a surplus of energy – for
residents and the house itself.

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DOING GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
With an electricity meter running backwards, Home for Life has a
positive impact on the environment.

LOCATION

STATUS

CLIENT

Lystrup / Denmark

Completed in 2008

VKR Holding

ARCHITECT

HONORARY AWARD

SIZE

AART architects

Green Good Design Award 2010
Bo Grøn Award 2009

200 m² single family house

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ADDITIONAL PROJECTS

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MUSHOLM

SIZE

Musholm has been designed as one of the world’s most accessible
holiday and sports resorts for people with disabilities.

By combining the classic block structure with a terraced landscape
of public roof gardens, the building provides the setting for a
recreational youth community where life will be lived in, between
and on top of the housing.

17,000 m² youth housing

LOCATION

STATUS

CLIENTS

Aarhus / Denmark

Under development

Konstruct Group
Kontiki Holding

ARCHITECT

PROJECT

AART architects

275 student accommodations

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CAMPUS KATRINEBJERG

SIZE

The masterplan transforms the former industrial area into an
attractive campus with housing, businesses and research facilities
organised around a public campus street.

We are a Nordic architectural
firm with offices in Aarhus,
Copenhagen and Oslo.
For over 15 years, we
have gained international
recognition for developing
architecture that opens up
opportunities for people,
places and communities.